Health of the Hood: 18th & Park/Haddon and Ivy Hills

Each of our correspondents took a 3 square-block walk around their neighborhood, taking stock of the area’s services, stores, homes, schools, and especially how people in the community were living their lives. The goal is to give real, detailed texture to our understanding of the quality of life in East Oakland’s neighborhoods from the perspectives of people who live there. These pieces were done in conjunction with Oakland Tribune Violence Reporting Fellow Scott Johnson’s Oakland Effect project.

By Edward Cervantes

Starting on Merritt Avenue and walking down the Cleveland Cascade to Lakeshore Avenue, I head south along Lake Merritt, where people walk, jog, and bike along designated paths at almost any hour of the day. Lakeshore Avenue curves alongside the eastern edge of the lake, and on the other side is lined with architecturally diverse apartment buildings with striking views of the sun setting behind Downtown Oakland.

Cleveland Heights. By Edward Cervantes, Oakland Voices 2012.

At 18th Street, I turn east, walking past busy tennis courts, the historic Merritt Bakery, and the large and always lively Lucky Supermarket. Half a block from Lakeshore, sunset views and the luxury of lakeside living give way to a more mixed-income area. The shell of the Parkway Theater is covered in graffiti – some pieces by local professional artists Ras Terms and Dead Eyes, others by amateur opportunists. The building towers empty over payday lenders, a laundromat, and the ubiquitous corner liquor store.

Lakeshore Blvd. By Edward Cervantes, Oakland Voices 2012.

Proximity to the lake and the conveniences of the Lakeshore/Grand shopping district produce a competitive housing market and expensive rents. Gazing back at Lakeshore and all of the buildings in disrepair, there is a sense of fading elegance, of better times past. The once-glossy buildings do continue to offer a visual barrier from the more unpleasant realities beyond the Lakeshore façade.

For those of us who live on Haddon Hill, it is important to remember that the calm and conveniences we enjoy are not necessarily standard throughout all of East Oakland. I may describe the elegance on our hill as fading, but it is elegant nonetheless. The 12th Street project on the southern edge of the Lake and recent upgrades to the Cleveland Cascade will surely have positive effects on our neighborhood. Further comforts, however, should not come at the expense of safety or services for our neighbors to the south and east. Resources should not be funneled to maintain a façade, while the rest of the city suffers.

Notes on a neighborhood

The area east of Lake Merritt, south of the 580 freeway, north of 18th Street, and northwest of Park Boulevard is almost entirely residential though the style and size of homes varies significantly. Penthouse condominiums on Lakeshore Avenue can sell for millions of dollars while a 3-bedroom basement apartment near 18th Street can rent for $1,200.

The neighborhood is not on a grid and most streets are on steep inclines as the majority of residences are built on what is known as Haddon Hill. Lakeshore Avenue is well maintained and regularly street-swept along with other portions of the neighborhood that are on flat ground.

The streets in the target area are clean though 18th Street appears to be the dividing line between a relatively affluent area to the north known as Cleveland Heights and a neighborhood to the south that seems more depressed. Though just outside of the target area, 15th Street is regularly littered with shopping carts, old mattresses, torn and dirty armchairs, and other furniture no longer desired or left behind in a hasty move.

Trees abound in the neighborhood.

People are always exercising around the lake or up and down the Cleveland Cascade. Partly because of the steep streets, people come to this neighborhood to go for walks or to push themselves by sprinting uphill. The fitness seekers are racially and ethnically diverse but the neighborhood’s residents are predominantly white.

Most of the neighborhood feels safe to walk most of the time, though I would be more likely to hesitate near 18th Street and the intersection with Park Blvd. The area around Smith Park also feels less safe, particularly at night when the back of the park seems to be dark with potential blind spots.

The target zone is quiet, but Lakeshore is a busy street with significant traffic, including ambulances on their way to Highand Hospital so sirens are not uncommon. Boot camps on the Cleveland Cascade often involve early morning motivational yelling, but those are the sounds of relative privilege. Overall, neighbors seem to “keep to themselves,” but on my street at least, the tone is friendly and respectful.

good range of meat options, including large family packs that offer significant savings

less prepared-food options than other supermarkets

nothing stands out about their ethnic food aisle, though they do have one

hard-liquor is kept behind a counter and requires customer service

check-out lines are long even when several lanes are open, including up to four for self check-out

not uncommon to be asked for money when getting out of your car, walking into the store, or walking back to your car.

3 convenience/liquor stores (Quickstop, Carriage Liquors, and Dave’s)

Quickstop is like a 7/11, offering chips, candy, soda, beer, liquor, some processed food (hot dogs or sandwiches that can be warmed), and cigarettes

Carriage is primarily a liquor store though they also offer typical convenience store items

Dave’s Grocery and Liquor is less than a grocery store, but more than a liquor store. Though not substantial, they do offer some fresh food options and carry a larger variety of options than a typical convenience store.

Schools:

Cleveland Elementary School

Title I Academic Achievement Award Winner for 2011-12

Healthy food options (including “Meatless Mondays”)

Grounds are in good condition and has a large playground

Informative website.

Lake School

small, private, non-profit preschool. Curriculum is based on “philosophy that children are naturally curious and eager to learn”

seeks “to encourage self-confidence and individuality by helping young children to understand and feel in control of their own world through developing learning and social skills.”

Parks:

Besides the lake and the grassy area that surrounds it, there are 4 parks in the target area

About Edward Cervantes
A native Angeleno and former New Yorker, Edward Cervantes is proud to now be a resident of Oakland, where he lives with his partner Jim and their three cats. He is a candidate for a master’s degree in public policy at Mills College. Fascinated by Oakland’s history, diversity, and geography, Edward looks forward to further exploring and writing about the city’s richness and complexity.

Comments

Edward,
Thank you for taking the time for this- such a great resource, albeit over 2 years later. I am a native Angeleno and former New Yorker as well, from Eagle Rock/Highland Park in LA and then on to Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn. I am moving to Oakland and apartment hunting and have fallen in love with Haddon Hill/Ivy Hill area and am hoping to find a rental there and open a retail shop nearby on Park. I’ll keep my fingers crossed…
Thanks again for your time